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High-quality photos, which could once only be turned out with printers worth W2-3 million(US$2000-3000), are now easily done using photo printers priced at W600,000-700,000, and even the cheapest in the W200,000 range turn out pictures whose quality matches those printed at a photo studio.
The more popular digital cameras and camera phones become, the more demand for photo printers has grown. Manufacturers have turned their backs on the saturated regular printer market and turned to the specialized picture printer market instead.
Hewlett-Packard (HP) and EPSON will release products costing an estimated W500,000-600,000 that target semi-professionals. HP introduced the HP Photosmart 8750, the world's first printer with nine ink colors, on June 2. HP Korea's Vice President Cho Tae-won explained, "Combining the nine inks, the printer is able to express 338 million colors and develop natural colors for the sky and the sea."
EPSON also showcased its Stylus Photo R1800 for semi-professionals on June 16. The product is equipped with eight separable ink cartridges and can print pictures up to A3 format.
Samsung Electronics is meanwhile targeting the market for everyday users. Its recently released photo printer SPP-2040 allows the user to print photos by just inserting the memory card without the need to be connected to a computer. Simple editing such as modification of brightness and rotation are also possible on the spot. User can also print photos from their camera phone through a wireless connection with the printer.
Requiring only a small startup capital, on-the-spot photo printer vending machines are springing up all over the capital. Kodak Korea¡¯s instant printer Order Station reads the photos from memory card or CD and prints the selected pictures. The machines are to be set up in Kodak studios and other stores. Fujifilm Korea PrinCiao QN digital print system also prints normal photos and stickers.
The cost is dropping drastically. The prominent U.S. photographer Joel Meyerowitz commented in a product presentation of HP Korea early this month, ¡°It used to cost US$500 to develop one photo in the darkroom, but now the same product can be got for just $10.¡± In choosing a photo printer, picture quality should be considered over speed, so make sure to sample how pictures turn out.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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